(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of fixing terminal fitting components to each other and a terminal fitting which composes a wiring harness to be mounted on a motor vehicle and so on.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Various electronic instruments are mounted on a motor vehicle as a mobile unit. The motor vehicle is equipped with a wiring harness to transmit electric power and control signals to the electronic instruments. The wiring harness includes a plurality of electric wires and connectors. The electric wire is the so-called coated electric wire, which includes an electrically conductive core wire and an electrically insulating coating that coats the core wire.
The connector includes a terminal fitting and connector housing. The terminal fitting consists of an electrically conductive metal plate. The connector housing is made of electrically insulating synthetic resin and formed in a tube-shape. The connector housing receives the terminal fitting therein.
For example, the connector fits to a mating connector in a state that the connector is attached to a printed wiring board. A terminal fitting for such a type of connector includes a first electric contacting part having a rod-shape for electrically connecting to a wiring pattern of the printed wiring board and a second electric contacting part having a tube-shape for connecting to a terminal fitting of the mating connector.
In the terminal fitting that includes the first electric contacting part having a rod-shape and the second electric contacting part having a tube-shape, since a cross-sectional area of the first electric contacting part is different from that of the second electric contacting part, the first electric contacting part generates heat locally when a current is applied.
In order to prevent the heat generation, it may be considered that the first electric contacting part is formed by bending so as to increase the cross-sectional area of the first electric contacting part. However, in such a case, a mold for forming the first electric contacting part by bending is forced to be complicated, causing the cost of the terminal fitting itself to increase.
Further, it may be considered that the terminal fitting is composed of a first terminal fitting component having the first electric contacting part and a second terminal fitting component having the second electric contacting part, wherein the first and second terminal fitting components are not formed in one piece, thereby allowing a thickness of the first terminal fitting component to be larger than that of the second terminal fitting component, thereby preventing the heat generation of the first electric contacting part (i.e. the heat generation of the first terminal fitting component) from occurring.
In the above case, it may be considered that one of the first and second terminal fitting components is provided with a spring piece in order to fix the first and second terminal fitting components to each other. However, in such a case, a structure of said one of the first and second terminal fitting components having the spring piece is forced to be complicated, therefore a mold for forming said one terminal fitting component by bending is forced to be complicated, causing the cost of the terminal fitting itself to increase.
Further, it may be considered that a rivet that is not formed in one piece with the first and second terminal fitting components is used in order to fix the first and second terminal fitting components to each other. However, in such a case, the number of parts tends to increase, causing the cost of the terminal fitting itself to increase.